SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The Fairleigh Dickinson softball team dropped its first game of the second day of the Cardinal Invitational to Cleveland State, 5-0.
 
The Knights (1-2) were held to just two hits in the loss, with freshman Malori Bell taking the loss in the circle.
 
Bell surrendered a first-inning run on a single by Sdyney Bajusz after a leadoff hit. The freshman pitcher then retired the Vikings in order in the second before collecting FDU's first hit of the game in the third inning with a single through the left side.
 
The Knights, however, were held hitless for the next four innings until freshman Savannah Thornell knocked a pinch-hit double down the left field line with two outs in the seventh.
 
Cleveland State pushed another run across in the fifth inning and then opened the game up with three more runs in the sixth inning.
 
Bell finished with three strikeouts in five innings, giving up five hits and three runs with three walks in her FDU debut. Sophomore Courtney Mahoney made her pitching debut in the sixth inning, allowing two runs on three hits.
 
Sophomore Riley De Laval stole her first base of the season as well, running FDU's total to five out of eight attempts in three games.
 
The Knights take on Delaware in the final game of the second day of the Cardinal Invitational, starting at 6 p.m. CT ( 7 p.m. ET).